Is the BMW 3 Series loosing its grip as the benchmark for luxury sports sedans?

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Even though it’s a Motor Trend Car of the Year contender, MT says the new 2016 BMW 3 Series is loosing its luster as the benchmark for luxury sports sedans.

Is it possible the new 2016 BMW 340i could be loosing its grip as the benchmark for luxury sports sedans? When it comes to the most popular cars, consumers are the ones who vote by which cars they research and then ultimately purchase. The race has been between the two German rivals for the top spot when it comes to luxury sport sedans, the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

What does consumer research say about the two German rivals? Consumer interest for the new 2016 BMW 340i has never been higher. One way to gauge interest is in how many people are researching the sports sedans on the internet. Edmunds.com is a popular site with consumers who are looking to buy a car or truck where they can do comparative research before they buy.

Among luxury sport sedans, the 2016 BMW 3 Series is #14 on Edmunds top 50 most researched vehicles list. The 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is #36 on the list. While this isn’t definitive proof that the 3 Series is still the leader, it does tell us that BMW is still the most popular luxury sport sedan that consumers are checking out.

Sales numbers also show BMW is on top. BMW still holds the lead in luxury car sales in the U.S. with 29,439 deliveries in October and is ahead of rival Mercedes-Benz who is number two and Lexus number three. Deliveries for the BMW 3 Series grew 8 percent for the 3-series sedan and it remains the brands top seller in the lineup. Mercedes reported a 1.3 percent increase to 28,952, led by an 18 percent advance for its E-class cars. Lexus jumped 13 percent to 26,436.

It doesn’t look like the 2016 BMW 3 Series is loosing its grip on being the benchmark for luxury sports sedans. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is sporty and all-new, but consumers are still more interested in checking out and then buying the most popular BMW model in their lineup.

Media source: Edmunds.com